MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2012 Owners Manual

Pedestrian and animal recognition is deacti-
vated at temperatures above 32 †. The spot-
light function and automatic activation are
then no longer active.
Pedestrian recognition :
Night View Assist Plus display in the
COMAND display
; Standby symbol for active pedestrian rec-
ognition
= Highlighting
? Pedestrian recognised
Night View Assist Plus can recognise pedes-
trians using typical characteristics, e.g. the
body contours and posture of a person stand- ing upright.
Pedestrian recognition is then switched on
automatically if:
R Night View Assist Plus is activated
R you are driving faster than approximately
10 km/h
R it is dark
If pedestrian recognition is active, symbol ;
appears. Persons who are detected are high-
lighted by framing =. If the pedestrian rec-
ognition system has brought a pedestrian to
your attention, look through the windscreen
to evaluate the situation.
Animal recognition
Animals can be recognised in the following
situations:
R darkness
R outside built-up areas
R below an outside temperature of 32 † Night View Assist Plus can recognise larger
animals such as deer, cows or horses using
typical characteristics.
The system does not detect:
R smaller animals, e.g. dogs and cats
R animals whose silhouette is not clearly rec-
ognisable
When detected, animals are marked with
small coloured frame corners. In contrast to
pedestrian recognition, there is no separate
standby symbol in the multifunction display.
Activating/deactivating Night View
Assist Plus Activation conditions
You can only activate Night View Assist if all of
the following conditions have been fulfilled:
R the ignition is switched on (Y page 155) or
the engine has been started
R the light switch is in the ÃorL posi-
tion
R reverse gear has not been engaged
Activating Night View Assist Plus X
Press button :.
The Night View Assist Plus display appears in the COMAND display.
i The infrared headlamps only switch on in
the dark when the vehicle is being driven at speeds of at least 10 km/h. This means
that you do not have the full visual range
while stationary and cannot check whether
Night View Assist Plus is working. The infra- 218
Driving systemsDriving and parking

red headlamps are deactivated at speeds
below 5 km/h. The Night View image con-
tinues to be displayed.
Automatic activation
You can use COMAND Online to select the
Night View Assist Automatic activa‐
Night View Assist Automatic activa‐
tion tion option. The pedestrian and animal
search function remains active even when the
Night View image is not displayed. In the dark, in unlit surroundings and at speeds of more
than 60 km/h, the Night View image is auto-
matically displayed in the COMAND display as
soon as pedestrians or animals are detected.
X In COMAND Online, select automatic acti-
vation of Night View Assist Plus
(Y page 322).
Deactivating Night View Assist Plus X
Press button :.
The Night View Assist Plus display goes off in the COMAND display. Night View Assist
Plus is deactivated.
Spotlight function General notes
i The function described below is not avail-
able in all countries.
Under certain conditions, the spotlight func-
tion uses the headlamps to flash at detected
pedestrians.
The spotlight function is only active if:
R pedestrian recognition is active
R the road surface is not lit R
the driving speed is at least 60 km/h
R the "Adaptive Highbeam Assist"
(Y page 133) or "Adaptive Highbeam Assist
PLUS" function is activated
R reverse gear has not been engaged
The spotlight function is not active or is active
only to a limited extent if:
R you are driving in city traffic
R there are pedestrians located in the area of
an oncoming vehicle or a vehicle in front
Activating the spotlight function
The pedestrian detection with spotlight func- tion runs in the background. If the prerequi-
sites are met, the spotlight function uses the
headlamps to flash four short pulses at a
pedestrian detected on or near to the road
surface.
X In the light menu, select the spotlight func-
tion of Night View Assist Plus
(Y page 240).
The spotlight function does not flash at ani-
mals.
Display in the assistance graphic Pedestrian symbol
:in the assistance
graphic indicates the status of the spotlight
function. If the symbol is displayed not filled
in, the function is switched on. If the symbol is displayed filled in, the conditions for the spot-
light function are met.
Showing the assistance graphic
X In the Assist. Assist. menu, select Assistance
Assistance
graphic
graphic (Ypage 237). Driving systems
219Driving and parking Z

Problems with Night View Assist Plus
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The picture quality of
Night View Assist Plus
has deteriorated. The windscreen is misted up on the inside.
X Fold down camera cover (Y page 572).
X Demist the windscreen (Y page 147). The windscreen is iced up.
X De-ice the windscreen (Y page 146). The windscreen wipers are smearing the windscreen.
X Replace the wiper blades (Y page 136). The windscreen is smeared after the vehicle has been cleaned in a
car wash.
X Clean the windscreen (Y page 570). The windscreen has been damaged by stone impact in the cam-
era's field of vision.
X Replace the windscreen. The pedestrian and ani-
mal recognition is not
available. The infrared camera in the radiator grille is dirty.
X Use a soft cloth and water to clean the infrared camera. Active Driving Assistance package
General notes The Active Driving Assistance package con-
sists of DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 185), Active
Blind Spot Assist (Y page 220) and Active
Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 223).
Active Blind Spot Assist General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system to monitor the area to the sides of
your vehicle which are behind the driver. A
warning display in the exterior mirrors draws
your attention to vehicles detected in the
monitored area. If you then switch on the cor-
responding turn signal to change lanes, you
will also receive an optical and audible colli-
sion warning. If a risk of side impact is detec- ted, corrective braking may help you avoid a
collision. To support the course-correcting
brake application, Active Blind Spot Assist
also uses the forward-facing radar sensor sys-
tem.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 30 km/h.
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be operational.
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may fail to detect some vehicles and is no substi-
tute for attentive driving. 220
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G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to
vehicles:
R overtaking too closely on the side, placing
them in the blind spot area
R if the difference in the speed of approach
and overtaking is too great
As a result, Active Blind Spot Assist may nei-
ther give warnings nor intervene in such sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and maintain a safe distance at the side of the vehicle.
Radar sensors
The Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors are
integrated into the front and rear bumpers
and behind a cover in the radiator grille. Make sure that the bumpers and the cover in the
radiator grille are free of dirt, ice or slush. The
rear sensors must not be covered, e.g. by
bicycle racks or overhanging loads. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to the bumpers, have the function of the radar
sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Active Blind Spot Assist may oth-
erwise no longer function properly.
Monitoring range G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not detect all
traffic situations and road users. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always make sure that there is sufficient dis-
tance to the side for other traffic or obstacles. Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 3.0 mbehind your vehicle and directly next
to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram.
The detection of vehicles may be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R poor visibility, e.g. due to rain, snow or
spray
Vehicles in the monitoring range will then be
indicated late or not at all.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect nar-
row vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicy-
cles, or may only detect them too late.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may be the case if there are vehicles at the edge of
their lane nearest your vehicle.
Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside particularly long vehicles, for
example lorries, for a prolonged time. Driving systems
221Driving and parking Z

Indicator and warning display
:
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at
speeds below approximately 30 km/h. Vehi-
cles in the monitoring range are then not indi-
cated.
If Active Blind Spot Assist is activated, indi-
cator lamp :in the exterior mirrors lights up
yellow up to a speed of 30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out
and Active Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp :on the corre-
sponding side lights up red. A warning is
always issued when a vehicle enters the blind
spot monitoring range from behind or from
the side. When you overtake a vehicle, the
warning only occurs if the difference in speed
is less than 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse gear is engaged. Active Blind Spot Assist is
then no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. Visual and acoustic collision warning When you switch on the turn signals to
change lanes and a vehicle is detected in the
side monitoring range, you receive a visual
and acoustic collision warning. You then hear a double warning tone and red warning
lamp :flashes. If the turn signal remains on,
detected vehicles are indicated by the flash-
ing of red warning lamp :. There are no fur-
ther warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application G
WARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the sides. 222
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp :flashes in the
exterior mirror and a dual warning tone
sounds. In addition, display ;appears in the
multifunction display.
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
side impact in the monitoring range, a course- correcting brake application is carried out.
This is designed to help you avoid a collision.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h.
Either a very slight course-correcting brake
application, or none at all, may occur if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, on both sides of your vehicle
R a vehicle approaches too closely on the
side
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds
R you clearly brake or accelerate
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake R
ESP ®
is deactivated.
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre is
detected
Activating Active Blind Spot Assist X
Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 242) and Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 238) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Active Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of camera :
at the top of the windscreen. Active Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a lane-correcting application of the Driving systems
223Driving and parking Z

brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane.
If you select km kmin the Display unit
Display unit
Speed-/odometer
Speed-/odometer function on the on-board
computer (Y page 239), Active Lane Keeping
Assist is activated starting at a speed of
60 km/h. If the miles
miles display unit is selected,
the assistance range begins at 40 mph.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active
Lane Keeping Assist can neither reduce the
risk of an accident nor override the laws of
physics. Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account road, weather or traffic conditions.
Lane Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time, and for staying in lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continu-
ously keep your vehicle in its lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun or reflection from other vehicles
(e.g. if the road surface is wet) R
the windscreen is dirty, misted up, dam-
aged or covered, for instance by a sticker,
in the vicinity of the camera
R no, or several, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, e.g. in a construction
area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions
on the road
Warning vibration through the steering
wheel
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of intermittent vibration in the steer-
ing wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lanemarking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way
R the system recognises solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes
R you cut the corner on a bend
Lane-correcting brake application G
WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original lane. There is a risk of an accident. 224
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake appli-
cation. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic conditions or road users. In very rare
cases, the system may make an inappropriate brake application, e.g. after intentionally driv-
ing over a solid lane marking. There is a risk of an accident.
An inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in
the opposite direction. Always make sure that
there is sufficient distance to the side for
other traffic or obstacles.
In rare cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist can
recognise unclear markings or particular
structures on the roadway as solid lane mark-
ings. An inappropriate brake application may
be interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in the opposite direction. If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display :appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
If you leave your lane under certain circum-
stances, the vehicle will brake briefly on one
side. This is intended to help you return the
vehicle to the original lane.
This function is available in the range between
60 km/h and 200 km/h.
A lane-correcting brake application can only
be made after driving over a solid, recognis- able lane marking. Before this, a warning
must have been issued by means of intermit-
tent vibration through the steering wheel. In
addition, a lane with lane markings on both
sides must be recognised. The brake applica- tion also slightly reduces driving speed.
i A further lane-correcting brake applica-
tion can only occur after your vehicle has
returned to the original lane.
No lane-correcting brake application occurs
if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend
R you have switched on the turn signals
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of
acceleration
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R the transmission is not in position D
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre
has been detected and displayed
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
road and traffic conditions. An inappropriate
brake application may be interrupted at any
time if:
R you steer slightly in the opposite direction
R you switch on the turn signal
R you clearly brake or accelerate
A lane-correcting brake application is inter-
rupted automatically if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist
R lane markings are no longer be detected Driving systems
225Driving and parking Z

Activating Active Lane Keeping Assist
X Activate Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard
Standard orAdaptive Adaptive (Ypage 238).
If you drive at speeds above 60 km/h and
lane markings are detected, the lines in the
assistance graphics display (Y page 237)
are shown in green. Lane Keeping Assist is
ready for use.
If Standard
Standard is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive
Adaptive is selected, no warning
vibration occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals In
this case, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown
R you brake hard
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend 226
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rking

Useful information
............................228
Important safety notes ....................228
Displays and operation ....................228
Menus and submenus ......................231
Display messages ............................. 247
Warning and indicator lamps ..........274 227On-board computer and displays